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UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


00034013335 

This  book  must  not 
be  taken  from  the 
Library  building. 


2  *  m:> 


Form  No.  471 


The  Report  of  the 
Social  Service  Commission 

of  the  Diocese  of 

North  Carolina  to  the 

Convention  1917. 


The  Report  of  the  Social   Service  Com- 
mission of  the  Diocese  of  North 
Carolina  to  the  Convention 
of  1917. 


This  Commission  has  not  been  able  to  do  much  constructive 
work  during  the  past  year  owing  chiefly  to  a  lack  of  funds  with 
which  to  curry  out  its  program  of  service.  The  Convention  of 
1915  passed  a  resolution  granting  a  certain  sum  of  money  for 
the  use  of  the  Commission,  but  no  funds  have  been  available. 
We  have  held  three  meetings  during  the  past  year,  each  mem- 
ber defraying  his  own  expenses.  Some  of  the  resolutions 
passed  at  these  meetings  are  appended  to  this  report. 

Lack  of  time  and  means  has  prevented  us  from  making  an 
exhaustive  study  of  the  whole  subject:  or  making  an  adequate 
survey  of  the  field  of  Social  Service,  but  we  have  made  an  ef- 
fort to  study  the  larger  phases  of  Social  Service,  and 
to  obtain  such  information  relative  to  local  conditions  as  would 
enable  us  to  co-operate  with  the  organized  forces  of  the  Church 
throughout  the  country,  and  to  take  care  of  the  problems  within 
our  own  Diocese. 

Summarizing  our  study  and  investigation  we  find: 

1st,  That  the  Social  Conscience  of  the  Church  is  only  be- 
ginning to  be  awakened. 

2nd.  That  while  the  forces  of  evil  are  organized  to  hurt 
society  the  Church  is  not  organizing  with  commensurate  speed 
to  combat  these  evils  and  save  society. 

3rd,  That  the  clergy,  with  but  few  exceptions,  are  only 
mildly  interested  in  Social  Service  and  some  are  opposed  to  it. 

We  believe  that  the  church  is  the  Body  of  christ,  and  as  the 
Body  of  Christ  it  has  the  same  sort  of  service  to  render  to 
humanity  which  Jesus  rendered  to  society  when  He  was  here 
in  the  flesh. 

The  Church  must  bring  to  society  something  of  the  mind 
which  was  in  Christ  Jesus.  His  mission  was  co-extensive  with 
the  social  and  spiritual  life;  His  ministry  was  to  the  whole 
man.  As  He  went  about  teaching  truth  He  was  applying  it, 
practically  to  society.  He  taught  men  about  the  [Mansions  in 
the  skies,  but  He  was  ever  acting  in  the  Society  in  which  He 
found  Himself.  He  went  about  doing  good;  not  doing  what 
we  call  charitv,  but  giving  expression  to  love  in  helping  men 
onto  their  feet  and  enabling  them  to  help  themselves.  He  got 
behind  the  conditions  which  made  it  necessary  for  a  man  to 
beg,  and  helped  the  man  to  help  himself.   He  restored  the  wage 


earner  10  the  widowed  mother  rather  than  merely  relieving  her 
distress  with  a  coin.  Industrial  conditions,  un-safeguarded 
often  take  away  wage  earners  by  sickness  and  accidents  which 
could  be  prevented  by  better  housing,  better  wages,  better  san- 
itation. Jesus  said,  "I  am  come  that  they  might  have  life 
and  that  they  might  have  it  more  abundantly."  His  service 
was  in  the  direction  of  making  a  Social  Order  in  which  justice 
should  be  done,  and  that  every  man  might  live  a  normal  life. 

Society,  as  at  present  constructed,  is  not  after  the  mind  of 
Jesus.  Strong  groups  which  control  the  social  and  economic 
factors  thwart  justice  and  cause  great  suffering.  Willi  produc- 
tions almost  normal  the  high  cost  of  living,  in  large  part  occas- 
ioned by  speculation,  is  causing  thousand  to  suffer 
for  the  necessities  of  life.  The  masses  toil;  the  few 
have  luxuries.  The  prodigality  of  the  idle  rich  overshadows 
the  wickedness  of  the  poor.  Masses  create  wealth  which  others 
enjoy.  The  world  is  full  of  social  unrest.  Humanity  is  crying 
for  justice.  There  is  positively  no  place  in  the  ideal  Kingdom 
of  God  for  group  control  or  favoritism. 

That  many  of  the  workers  are  turning  away  from  the  Church 
is  sadly  recognized  by  us  all.  They  are  turning  to  any  sort  of 
an  organization,  any  sort  of  leaders  which  promise  relief  from 
the  oppression  of  injustice.  Is  not  the  reason  apparent?  They 
have  turned  away  from  the  Church  because,  while  preaching 
justice,  the  church  has  not  been  the  champion  of 
justice.  Like  the  man  at  the  gate,  which  was  called  beauti- 
ful, who  looked  on  Peter  and  John,  the  lame  man  in  society 
looked  to  the  church  to  champion  his  cause  and  enable  him  to 
leap  and  walk  as  other  men.  And,  is  it  any  wonder,  that  since 
the  Church  has  failed  to  boldly  follow  the  example  of  these 
representatives  that  the  lame  man  in  society  has  begun  to  look 
on  organizations  which  promise  help.  Peter  and  John  went 
beyond  charity;  they  helped  the  man  on  to  his  feet.  It  is  time 
that  our  ministers,  ring  clear  on  the  social  question.  Our 
pulpits  ought  to  send  forth  a  Gospel  which  has  in  it  Social 
justice. 

There  is  no  conflict  between  the  idea  of  spiritual  regeneration 
and  the  idea  of  Social  Service.  "Except  a  man  be  born  again 
he  can  not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven;"  but  the  regen- 
erate man  is  the  one  whose  function  it  is  to  leaven  society 
with  the  leaven  of  social  righteousness.  The  church  MUST 
do  social  service.  No  organization  can  perform  the  function 
for  which  the  organic  Body  of  the  Church  was  created.  This 
was  the  reason  that  Jesus  refused  the  Kingship  of  the  earthly 
kingdom.  He  knew  that  any  kingdom  built  upon  an  unregen- 
erate  humanity  would  suffer  the  fact  of  all  other  temporal 
kingdoms — rise  and    fall.     Men    must    be    born    again.     The 


Church  and  the  sacraments  are  necessary—  not  alone  for  sal- 
vation of  the  individual,  but  for  the  service  which  the  individ- 
ual can  render  to  fociety. 

In  the  old  Jewish  Church  when  the  constituted  authorities 
failed  to  fulfil  the  law  in  social  righteousness  GOD  sent  proph- 
ets to  cry  out  against  them.  There  was  no  conflict  between 
the  Prophets  and  the  organized  system  of  worship  and  sacrifice. 
They  cried  out,  not  against  the  Law,  but  for  its  fulfillment;  not 
against  Rites  and  Ceremonies  but  against  the  lack  of  righteous- 
ness, which  ought  to  have  accompanied  them.  And  to-day,  if 
the  church  fails  in  her  mission,  GOD  will  hold  her  responsible. 
We  need  not  be  surprised  if  HE  raises  up  prophets  outside  the 
Church,  to  cry  against  wrong  and  oppression  and  to  plead  for 
justice. 

Feeling  so  keenly  the  lack  of  interest  and  effort  in  social 
service  the  great  need  of  a  Social  awakening  and  Social  educa- 
tion, especially  in  our  own  Diocese,  we  offer  the  following 
resolution  and  recommendations: 

RESOLUTION 

Resolved,  That  the  Convention  appropriate  from  its  treasury 
adequate  financial  support  for  the  Diocesan  Social  Service 
Commission. 

RECOMMENDATIONS 

1st,  That  the  Clergy  read  as  many  as  possible  of  the  books 
recommended  by  the  Commission. 

2nd,  That  the  clergy  conduct  classes  in  the  study  of  Social 
Service,  wherever  possible,  and  that  they  preach  frequent  ser- 
mons on  subjects  relating  to  Social  Service. 

3rd,  The  organization  in  every  Parish  of  a  Social  Service 
Committee. 

4th,  That  a  page  in  the  Carolina  Churchman  be  devoted  to 
Social  Service. 

Rev.  N.  C.  DUNCAN, 
Rev.  GEO.  W.  LAY, 
Rev.  R.  B.  OWENS, 
Dr.  JOSEPH  H.  PRATT. 

Resolutions  Passed  at  the  Meetings  of  the  Diocesan 
Social  Service  Commission 

On  the  resolution  of  the  Convention  of  1916,  page  57  of  the 
Journal,  The  Commission  after  studying  the  methods  of  caring 
for  dependent  children  passed  the  following  resolutions: 

Resolved,  That  the  Social  Service  Commission  of  the 
Diocese  of  North  Carolina  requests  the  North   Carolina    Social 


Service  Conference  to  appoint  a  special  committee  to  study 
and  report  on  the  best  methods  of  caring  for  dependant  children 
throughout  the  State. 

With  direct  reference  to  the  Thompson  Orphanage,  the  Com- 
mission determines  that  the  abstract  question  of  the  whole 
orphanage  system  is  too  large  to  be  determined  off-hand,  since 
the  system  of  caring  for  dependant  children  is  a  matter  of  slow 
growth  and  evolution,  adapted  to  local  conditions. 

They  believe  that  the  Thompson  Orphanage,  as  at  present 
conducted,  is  doing  the  work  in  a  worthy  manner;  employing 
the  cottage  system  of  separate  houses  in  combination  with  the 
general  institution. 

The  Commission  feels  that  the  work  of  the  Thompson  Or- 
phanage ought  to  be  brought  partcularly  to  the  attention 
of  the  children  of  the  Sunday  Schools  throughout  the 
Diocese,  and  that  they  be  requested  to  make  a  regular  contri- 
bution at  least  once  each  month  for  this  work. 

Resolved,  That  this  Commission  earnestly  calls  attention  to 
the  duty  of  the  Church  to  improve  the  condition  of  family  life 
and  of  social  customs,  so  as  to  educate  our  young  people  in 
better  ideas  of  propriety  and  modesty,  and  thus  prevent  them 
from  falling  victims  to  the  many  temptations  which  befall  them 
under  present  social  conditions.  While  thoroughly  sympathet- 
ic with  all  efforts  for  the  reform  of  the  delinquents  and  incor- 
rigibles  by  legislation,  and  for  all  legislative  means  designed 
to  prevent  delinquency  and  crime,  the  commission  feels  that 
there  is  a  real  danger  in  trusting  too  much  to  such  measures, 
and  thus  neglect  the  fundamental  and  natural  duties  of  parents 
and  the  effect  on  the  younger  members  of  the  community  of 
careless,  unthinking  acquiesence  in  demorilizing  social  customs 
that  have  grown  up  without  wise  direction. 

We  believe  that  laxity  of  home  life  and  lack  of  parental  dis- 
cipline is  the  most  serious  question  before  our  people,  and 
that  the  Church  has  the  duty  and  the  responsibility  of  taking 
measures  to  correct  these  conditions. 

Whereas,  the  influence  of  Carnivals  and  Midways  is  general- 
ly recognized  as  exerting  a  harmful  influence,  therefore  resolved, 
That  the  Social  Service  Commission  of  the  Diocese  of  North 
Carolina  recognizing  that  the  State  Fair  is  intended  to  promote 
the  best  interest  of  all  the  people  of  the  State  of  North  Carolina 
request  the  management  of  the  Fair  to  prohibit  Carnivals  and 
Midways  on  the  Fair  Grounds. 

To  our  minds  the  elimination  of  this  feature  would  increase 
the  value  of  the  State  Fair  to  the  people  of  North  Carolina, 
and  would  do  more  to  build  up  the  Fair  as  a  Statewide  expo- 
sition of  the  State's  resources. 


WHAT  IS  SOCIAL  SERVICE? 

Extracts  from  the  Publications  of  the 
Joint  Commission. 

Social  Service  is  not  "charity."  Charity  at  best  is  only  an 
expedient.  It  will  relieve  temporarily  but  will  not  remove  the 
cause  of  the  trouble.  Charity  in  the  older  sense,  even  if  not 
now,  was  largely  individual;  social  service  is  what  its  name 
implies  —  collective. 

In  the  fullest  sense,  Social  Service  is  service  by  society,  for 
society:  full  human  co-operation  to  the  end  of  true  social  living, 
without  prejudice  to  any  individual,  group,  nation  or  race. 
Genuine  social  service,  in  short,  is  co-extensive  with  humanitv. 

Economic  reconstruction  is  an  ultimate  aim  of  social  endeavor 
Under  a  system  whereby  "each  should  give  according  to  I  is 
ability,  and  receive  according  to  his  need"  much,  if  not  all,  of 
pur  social  problem  would  be  solved.  This  is  not  the  aim  of 
the  Socialist  merely,  it  has  only  to  be  stated  to  be  recognized 
as  Christian.  What,  short  of  justice,  can  satisfy  the  claims  of 
our  religion?  If  all  men  are  equal  in  the  sight  of  GOD,  should 
they  be  less  equal  in  the  sight  of  one  another? 

FROM  THE  DIOCESE  OF  FOND  DU  LAC 

Resolved,  that  it  is  the  mind  of  this  Council  that  the  highest 
form  of  Christian  Social  Service  is  the  establishment  of  social 
justice,  that  is  to  say,  of  a  condition  of  lite  wherein  the  fruits 
of  industry  shall  be  so  distributed  that  every  human  being  shall 
have  a  chance  to  live  a  full  human  life,  with  due  chance  for 
the  preservation  of  bodily  health,  the  cultivation  of  mental 
powers,  and  the  exercise  of  spiritual  faculties;  and,  further, 
that  no  merely  ameliorative  or  charitable  activities  can  take 
the  place  of  this  fundamental  duty. 

PAROCHIAL  SOCIAL  SERVICE  COMMITTEES 

In  answer  to  "what  is  the  function  of  such  Committees. 
From  Pennsylvania  Commission. 

"First.  They  can  arrange  for  and  assist  in  the  making  of  a 
survey  of  social  conditions  in  the  parish. 

"Second.  If  the  field  were  a  larger  one  and  there  were 
churches  of  other  religious  bodies  within  it.  such  a  committee 
could  co-operate  with  these  and  other  bodies  along  lines  making 
for  the  social  welfare  of  the  community. 

"Third.  The  committee  can  co-operate  with,  and  act  as 
volunteer  member  of,  such  general  bodies  as  the  Society  for 
Organizing  Charity,  Court  Aid,  Playgrounds  Commission,  Hous- 


ing  Commission,  the  Registration  Bureau,  Big  Brother  and  Big 
Sister  Movements,  and  Kindred  organizations. 

'Fourth.  It  is  the  custom  of  the  Church  that  all  commun- 
ion alms  be  used  for  the  relief  of  the  poor,  and  the  problem 
is  often  perplexing  to  the  parish  priest  to  do  so  wisely  and 
justly.  A  parochial  social  service  committee  could  be  of  great 
assistance  in  this  matter,  especially  if  it  were  composed  of 
those  skilled  in  social  questions,  and  could  not  only  investi- 
gate but  follow  up  all  cases  to  which  alms  were  given. 

"Fifth.  Many  parish  organizations  have  as  a  part  of  their 
function  what  is  really  social  service  work.  Such  a  committee 
would  co-ordinate  this  work  and  see  that  it  is  given  a  wider 
scope  and  more  definite  aim. 

'Sixth.  It  could  stimulate  interest  in  social  matters  by  the 
formation  of  social  service  study  groups  and  by  seeing  that  the 
parish  library  was  supplied  with  books  of  social  topics,  and 
furnish  literature  for  distribution. 

"Seventh.  While  it  is  not  the  sphere  of  the  Church  to 
dictate  to  her  members  how  they  should  vote,  yet  at  the  same 
time  she  must  lay  stress  upon  the  duty  of  every  Christian  to 
cast  his  ballot  wisely  and  intelligently.  A  social  service  com- 
mittee could  therefore  stress  the  importance  of  the  ballot  and 
be  a  potent  factor  for  clean  politics. 

"Eighth.  It  could  perform  a  very  important  duty  of  interes- 
ting itself  in  the  films  which  are  being  shown  in  the  moving 
picture  theaters." 


BOOKS  RECOMMENDED 

Christianity  and  The  Social  Crisis— Rauschenbusch. 
Misery  and  Its  Causes— Devine. 
Yale  Lectures  on  Preaching — George  Wharton  Pepper. 
The  Clergy  and  Social  Service — Ede. 
Christianizing  the  Social  Order—  Rauschenbush. 
The  Approach  to  The  Social  Question — Peabody. 
The  Truth  about  Socialism — Allen  Benson. 


